WDJ The Prince Of Soul

I guess this must be the only 45 by the grandly
nicknamed WD Jordan from Norfolk, VA but it’s very good indeed. Funk
fans may well be familiar with the fine and highly accurate James Brown imitation “Funky
Loving” where
Jordan’s vocal intonation is soooo close to the Godfather it’s
quite uncanny.

But rather better for home listening is the plodding deep
side Invitation
To Love. On this track WD’s throaty delivery
is less forced and the emotional impact more direct as a consequence. I’d
prefer him to be more up in the mix and the chicks and strings further back
but I’m a notorious perfectionist. In reality this side is quality
deep soul as it is.

UPDATEWDJ was in Washington DC in the 80s appearing as Otis Redding in
a theatrical revue. WPFW oldies jock Billy Ray Edwards talked him up quite
a bit and may have been booking him at one point.

NEW UPDATE ~ Sami Dariush writes about a 45 by WD Jordan on Silver City 101 from LA dated 1982. The top side is an Otis' "Dock Of The Bay" flipped by "You Keep Runnung Away". Is this the same guy? The vocals aren't nearly as emotional as the Gent's 45 but the conincidence of an Otis tune can't be ignored. Can anybody confirm this?

Discography

Special thanks to Terence McArdle for the very interesting update and to Sami Dariush for an intriguing possibility. Also to Greg Burgess for alerting me to the excellent pic of WDJ which comes from the excellent DC Soul Recordings website.